“Schedule 1 Users Forum” Held in Spain

24 January 2014
Participants and OPCW staff at the first OPCW workshop on Schedule 1 facilities.

Participants and OPCW staff at the first OPCW workshop on Schedule 1 facilities.

The first OPCW workshop on Schedule 1 facilities, the “Schedule 1 Users Forum”, was held from 13 to 16 January 2014 in Madrid. The workshop was hosted by the Government of Spain in cooperation with the OPCW Technical Secretariat under Article XI of the Chemical Weapons Convention, with the aim of promoting international cooperation in the field of chemical activities.

The workshop was opened by Ms Nieves Gomez Sainz de Aja, Secretary General of the National Authority of Spain, and Colonel Carlos Aguado of the Ministry of Defence. It was attended by 38 participants from all 17 OPCW Member States with Schedule 1 facilities (S1Fs)*.

The workshop served as a forum for S1F personnel to share their experiences and concerns and to reach common positions and agreements. The agenda included an overview of activities carried out at S1Fs and was designed to foster comprehensive discussion and analysis of all S1F-related issues, including declarations, verification and international cooperation among facilities and laboratories.

* Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran, Netherlands, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States of America